Late Life Journey
What is the difference between a DPOA (Durable Power of Attorney) for Healthcare and an Advance Directive?
In Oregon, a properly executed Advance Directive generally covers what a separate Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare would provide — so one document can do both jobs.
Here's the reasoning: Oregon's Advance Directive (governed by ORS 127.505–127.660) is a consolidated document that combines two functions. The first is the living will component, where you specify your treatment wishes — what interventions you do or don't want under various circumstances. The second is the healthcare representative designation, where you name a person to make medical decisions on your behalf if you're unable to. That second function is essentially what a standalone Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare accomplishes.
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Oregon Advance Directive for Health Care
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Appoints a Health Care Representative (the person who makes medical decisions if you cannot).
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Contains instructions regarding health care wishes and end-of-life care.
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Serves the role that many other states call a Medical Power of Attorney or Durable Power of Attorney for Health Care.
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Oregon Durable Power of Attorney (Financial)
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Appoints an agent to handle financial, legal, and property matters.
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Remains effective if the person becomes incapacitated (if drafted as durable).
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Please note that this information is specific to the state of Oregon. The terminology of documents varies from state to state. As a care manager in the state of Oregon, I often get asked this question.
What is Slow Medicine?
“I received life because the time had come. I will lose it because the order of things passes on”.
-Chuang Tzu
Think about how you'd like to spend your days. About what you value in life. Advocate for how you want to live and how you want to die.
As we grow older, and in my experience as a Care Manager over the years, I have come to embrace the compassionate approach of Slow Medicine guidelines. Based on a client's values in life and the consideration of one's quality of life, I work to explore and help a client evaluate their decisions on treatment when facing a terminal illness. We need to carefully assess a plan of treatment when elders suffer the accumulating burdens of illness and exhausting medical regimens that extract all their available energy and time, leaving nothing left for living beyond a "medicalized" life. There is another way: "Slow Medicine".